Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Ste. Anne Roman Catholic Church Complex
U.S. National Register of Historic Places


Location	1000 St. Anne Street Detroit, Michigan
Built	1886–1887
Architect	Albert E. French
Architectural style	Classical Revival, Late Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.	76001040
Added to NRHP	June 03, 1976

The Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit is a very old and important church in Detroit, Michigan. It was started on July 26, 1701, by French settlers. This makes it one of the oldest Catholic churches in the United States that is still open today.

The church you see now was built in 1886. It is located at 1000 St. Anne Street, close to the Ambassador Bridge and the Michigan Central Station. Long ago, this church was the main church for a large area that included parts of Canada. The church has been rebuilt eight times over its long history. In 1976, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which lists important historical sites.

Today, many people who attend the church are from Latino backgrounds. On March 1, 2020, Pope Francis gave the church a special title: a minor basilica. It was the 86th church in the U.S. to get this honor.

History of Ste. Anne's Church

Ste. Anne's church was the very first building put up in Fort Detroit. This fort later grew into the city of Detroit. Cadillac and other French settlers arrived at the Detroit River on July 24, 1701. They started building the church just two days later, on July 26. This day is a special day for Saint Anne, who is the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus. The settlers named the church after Saint Anne because she was a special protector of France.

In 1703, local Native Americans accidentally set the church on fire. This fire destroyed part of the fort, including the church and its records. A new church was built in 1704. The oldest church records that still exist are from this time. The first record, from February 2, 1704, is about the baptism of Cadillac's child.

Later, a priest named Father Chérubin Deniau started building a bigger church in 1708. This church was outside the fort's wooden fence. In 1714, settlers burned it down during an attack by the Fox people. They were afraid the church would give cover to the attackers. After this, the parish did not have a church building for many years.

Father Simple Bocquet started building a new church in 1755. He served there for almost 30 years. During his time, Detroit became part of British territory after a war. Later, it became part of the United States.

Father Gabriel Richard came to Ste. Anne's in 1796. He was a very important person. He helped start a school that later became the University of Michigan. He also started schools for children and for Native Americans. He was even elected to the U.S. Congress. Father Richard helped build a road connecting Detroit and Chicago. He also brought the first printing press to Detroit and started the first newspaper in Michigan. When he died in 1832, Father Richard was buried under the altar of Ste. Anne's.

In 1805, a big fire destroyed most of Detroit, including the church. A new church building was started in 1818 and finished in 1828. This church was built in a new spot, still close to the Detroit River. In 1833, Ste. Anne's became the main church, or cathedral, for the new Catholic area of Detroit. It stayed the cathedral until 1848. Around that time, the old church records were stolen. Because these records were so important, church records are now kept very safe. Researchers have made copies of these old records available online for everyone to see.

In the 1860s, the church building from 1818 was taken down. Some parts of it, like the altar and a statue, were moved to the new Ste. Anne's church and another new church called St. Joachim.

Church Design

The inside of the church, called the nave

The design of the current church is often linked to an architect named Leon Cocquard. However, Albert E. French was the main architect responsible for the church, which was built from 1886 to 1887. French designed the church in the Gothic Revival style. This style includes special supports on the outside walls called flying buttresses. The design shows the church's French history.

The church faces a beautiful brick plaza with trees. The main entrance has four stone figures that look like monsters, called gargoyles. Ste. Anne's also has the oldest stained glass windows in Detroit. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Some parts from the 1818 church are still used today. The old altar and Father Richard's remains are in a special side chapel of the current church. Other old items include a communion rail, a statue of Ste. Anne, and the church bell.

For a long time, Ste. Anne's and St. Joachim's churches kept French traditions alive. By the 1920s, more people from different backgrounds moved to the area. Ste. Anne's then had mostly Irish-American people. Since the late 1930s, most people attending the church have been Hispanic, many from Mexico and Puerto Rico. The first sermon in Spanish was given in 1940. The last sermon in French was in 1942. Today, the church is still mostly Hispanic, with people from Central and South American countries joining the community.

Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit facts for kids

History of Ste. Anne's Church

Church Design

See also